It’s no secret that 1980s nostalgia has been prevalent in indie rock for years now. From Future Islands and Interpol to The 1975 and TOPS, countless bands from the last two decades have found success ...

Best of Chicago 2025 Credit: Cover and section photography by Kirk Williamson. Creative direction and prop styling by Shira Friedman-Parks, Amber Huff, and Kirk Williamson. Design by Corianton Hale.

At first listen, Introduction, Presence, the debut full-length from Brooklyn trio Nation of Language, is a deceptively simple retro-synthpop album that sounds like what we’d get if The National’s Matt ...